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The Beaufort community brims with locals who love the water. Just a handful of our weekend sailors, however, trade their bathing suit for surgical scrubs on weekdays. Only one of them — Dr. Chad Tober — doubles as a full-time vascular surgeon.

Dr. Tober, who joined the medical staff at Beaufort Memorial in 2004, came to the Lowcountry from The Ohio State University Medical Center, where he spent 10 years on the teaching faculty. One reason he headed south was in search of a longer sailing season.

James Chadwick "Chad" Tober, M.D.

“Unfortunately, you can only sail three or four months of the year there,” says Tober, who grew up in the Chicago area. “It’s one of the reasons I moved to Beaufort. I wanted to be near the water where I could sail more.”

When he arrived in the Lowcountry, Dr. Tober quickly learned that local currents and shoals make sailing here a very different experience than on the open, expansive Great Lakes. These days he’s content to spend his free time navigating and exploring in the creeks and rivers of Beaufort County with his wife, Tei.

Not that he’s had much free time the past few years. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Tober served as Beaufort Memorial’s chief of staff from 2011 to 2015. Now, though hardly a man of leisure, he finally can devote a little more time to his favorite leisure activities.

When Dr. Tober is not out on the water, he could be up in the sky–he’s a licensed private pilot who flies his own plane. More often than not, however, his off-duty pursuits take place closer to home. He and Tei enjoy riding bikes in their neighborhood or spending time on Hunting Island.

“When I want to escape, I go to the upstate and hike,” Tober says. “I don’t get up there as much as I would like, but I always enjoy it. It feels great just to stretch my legs and breathe the fresh mountain air.”